The Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) has urged the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to own up and take full responsibility for the artificial fuel scarcity currently ravaging the country.
CAPPA’s Policy and Research Officer, Zikora Ibeh, said this on Thursday night in a statement.
She said that the current situation and the attendant long queues at petrol stations, depressing traffic snarls, and hikes in transportation fares, among other unpleasant consequences are avoidable if the NNPC has performed its statutorily roles as expected.
She said that the CAPPA remark followed the February 8 announcement by the Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) that the cause of the latest fuel scarcity is the current effort of the NNPC to recall from circulation and public consumption, over 100 million litres of harmful petroleum products with methanol quantities above Nigeria’s specification.
“The NMDPRA’s admission of contaminated petroleum products in circulation cannot be assuaged by the usual lip-service apologies to Nigerians, and mere withdrawal of the offensive product from circulation,” she said.
Also, CAPPA Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi said, “Once again, Nigerians are the victims of an industry that is not transparent and continues to demonstrate collusive lack of oversight on operators in the sector.
“The disaster of toxic petroleum products in public circulation tellingly spotlights the mindboggling corruption orchestrated by thieving capitalists in the country’s oil sector, the lack of accountability systems in the country that fuel the irresponsibility and negligence of regulators to their oversight responsibilities, and the consequences of Nigeria’s failures to resuscitate its moribund refineries despite being led by a former Minister of Petroleum.
“The incessant scarcity of petroleum products in Nigeria despite being the largest producer of crude oil in Africa once again lays bare the ineptitude of the ruling elite and unpleasant management systems of regulatory and administrative bodies empowered to exercise oversight of Nigeria’s oil and gas industry. It is a crying shame mainly because Nigeria’s situation is akin to a man who lives on the banks of the river yet washes his hand with spittle.”
He said that the organisation is not satisfied with the mere recall of the contaminated products which many Nigerians have already procured and will likely cause damage to their vehicles and other fuel-reliant machines.
“We call on the Federal Government to issue appropriate sanctions against the culprit-supplier of the contaminated fuel product, and officials of the NNPC and other relevant national regulators for failing in their oversight functions,” he said.
He also demanded adequate compensation for citizens whose cars, generators, and other fuel-reliant appliances may have been adversely affected by the adulterated petroleum product in circulation.
